The State League pays monthly for a Pro Zoom account, which lets us host meetings of up to 100 participants with no limit on meeting time. State Zoom account is available on a first come, first served basis. Default meeting time is one hour - please contact us at lwvor@lwvor.org if you need more time.

Mark Kendall, LWVOR President October is a time when the work of the League of Women Voters of Oregon and the national organization becomes especially visible and important. VOTE411 is activated, the Voters Guide has gone to print, and candidate forums are being held. Fall leaves are in the air and ballots are in the mail. We have forwarded ballot initiative petitions to the Secretary of State to eliminate dark money in Oregon’s elections and to revise campaign contribution limits and donor transparency guidelines. All while local, state and national election campaigns are in high gear. Across Oregon, voters are considering the issues and candidates before them, and making decisions that will shape the future of our local communities, in Oregon and the nation. This election is critical to the future health of our democracy. This is the work we have been staging and preparing for all year, helping every eligible voter participate fully and confidently in our democracy. The League’s role is both simple and profound. We do not tell voters how to vote. We help make sure they have the information, resources, and opportunity they need to make their own informed decisions. Through voter registration, voter education, candidate forums, election information, and community outreach, League members across Oregon are putting that principle into action and are doing it expertly. I am especially grateful for the many volunteers in our local Leagues who give their time and experience to this work. The state Board of Directors contributed nearly 1,000 hours of service in this past month. From answering a voter’s questions to organizing community events, each effort strengthens our democracy. Our collective impact comes from these thousands of individual acts of service. As we enter this important month, I encourage each of us to remember that democracy is not simply an event that occurs on Election Day, November 3, 2026. It is an ongoing commitment to informed participation, respectful civic dialogue, and ensuring that every eligible voice has an opportunity to be heard. Thank you for the energy, dedication, and nonpartisan service you bring to the League of Women Voters of Oregon. Our local Leagues, Units and the statewide League continue to make a meaningful difference in communities throughout Oregon. We are faithfully doing our part and doing it well. Hope is not a strategy; hope is what you get when you have one and we’ve got one, thanks to you! In League, Mark Kendall LWVOR President

Date: August 27, 2026 To: All LWVOR Members From: Mark Kendall, LWVOR Acting President Janice Thompson, Transportation Portfolio Take Action Complete Survey on Oregon Transportation System Priorities By Sept. 10! DEADLINE: ASAP Action Items Complete survey Talking Points The Governor’s Rebuilding Our Transportation Vision Workgroup needs to hear input from across the state on priorities for Oregon’s transportation system.This survey from the Transportation Vision Workgroup will help prepare it for the 2027 legislative session. Since the survey is short it just focuses on the following transportation policies and requests your ranking and other input. No technical expertise is needed, just your views which are provided anonymously except for zip code. Preserve key assets Reliable public transit Easier to bike and walk Maintain the system Improve safety Better traffic flow At the survey link, the questions are not listed up front so here they are to help you prepare: What should Oregon’s transportation priorities be? How should limited transportation dollars be spent? What reductions would impact you most? What does a successful and well-managed transportation system look like to you? What would make you confident that the state’s transportation dollars are being well spent? There are other transportation issues besides those noted in the survey, such as climate, air quality, and equity which the League believes are important for the Workgroup to consider. The comment boxes can be used to say what you think is missing. Be specific and personal stories have particular impact. Two hypothetical examples: My grandchild has asthma and they need cleaner options like electric school buses. Transportation policies must reduce air quality impacts. Eventually I probably won’t be able to drive and that is a current reality for many Oregonians. An equitable transportation system funds public transit to help everyone get to work, school, appointments, and jobs. Again, the deadline is September 10. Your voice is critical. Questions? Send to Janice Thompson, LWVOR Transportation Portfolio at lwvor@lwvor.org. Thank you.

Andrea Capere, Communications Coordinator In mid August, the League of Women Voters of Oregon (LWVOR) Board approved League support for the Honest Elections Oregon campaign to advance an initiative petition to remove corporate, out-of-state, or other dark money from Oregon Elections. The Stomp Out Dark Money From Oregon Elections campaign proposes a ballot measure for an Oregon constitutional amendment that will eliminate non-persons (Corporations, Political Action Committees (PACs) or other institutions) from contributing to Oregon political campaigns. “For any Oregonian who is fed up with anonymous, out-of-state, special or corporate interests meddling in our elections, we invite you to sign up to volunteer at Stomp Out Dark Money in Oregon Elections.” - Mark Kendall, President of the League of Women Voters of Oregon Honest Elections Oregon is submitting the proposed initiative petition, with the goal of inclusion on the 2028 ballot. Hawaii overwhelmingly passed similar legislation this spring. Volunteers in Montana just collected over 50,000 signatures for a similar ballot measure in under 11 months. Activists in at least seven other states are proposing either constitutional amendments or legislation to curb dark money contributions in their elections. Honest Elections Oregon is a coalition that includes the League of Women Voters of Oregon, the Consolidated Oregon Indivisibles Network (COIN), the Independent Party of Oregon, the Pacific Green Party, the Oregon Progressive Party, the Alliance for Democracy, and others. To read the full press release and the proposed Oregon constitutional amendment, click here.

We are working to defend democracy from escalating cyber-attacks and disinformation. Policy debates are determining the future of our democracy, the internet, and privacy. Privacy and Cybersecurity 2020 About the Study We are working to defend democracy from escalating cyber-attacks and disinformation. Policy debates are determining the future of our democracy, the internet, and privacy. U.S. state and national policymakers have joined the global debate over digital protection of personal information, mined for multi-billion dollar advertising revenues. Experts now characterize media manipulation as ‘information disorder.' The impact of artificial intelligence on MDM, mis-, dis, and mal- information deserves intense scrutiny going forward. Read our 2020 study for an overview, analysis and comprehensive references to contemporary technology, global policy development, the history of privacy, and our key findings. LWVOR Privacy and Cybersecurity positions were adopted in January 2020, in LWVOR Issues for Action, on p. 16 . Privacy and Cybersecurity Position- Adopted: January 2021; Amended January 2021 Cybersecurity is the prevention of damage to, protection of, and restoration of computers, electronic communications systems, electronic communications services, wire communication, and electronic communication, including information contained therein, to ensure its availability, integrity, authentication, confidentiality, and nonrepudiation. This position statement addresses Elections, Information Security, Personal Information Protection, and Electronic Business and Social Media. Elections Security The election process is the foundation of our representative form of government. Election integrity, accuracy, transparency, and trustworthiness require vigilance to ensure security protections. Security requirements include and are not limited to: verifiable ballots; ballots that can be recounted and audited; up-to-date hardware and software, supported by vendors, tested, and secure; protected voter registration databases; election staff/volunteers with cybersecurity expertise; cyber-damage contingency plans; risk-limiting audits; attention to disinformation and misleading ads. Protect voters’ ability to exercise an informed opinion on electoral matters. Explore limiting the unfettered electronic circulation and amplification of election misinformation (e.g., targeted disinformation campaigns, manipulated media, anonymous disinformation, and algorithmic and robotic disinformation campaigns). Information Security Government, individuals, and organizations (including the private sector and critical infrastructure), all require strong cybersecurity protections and effective deterrents to assure national security, economic and social stability, and personal information integrity. Create consistent information privacy laws and regulations across all organizations (government, private, for-profit, and non-profit) that eliminate gaps, inconsistencies, and overlaps. Regulate all technology-enabled organizations (e.g., internet platforms, online intermediaries, business-to-consumer platforms), not shifting sectors, so that organizations are subject to a uniform set of laws and regulations. Regulate all categories of information in the same way, regardless of the type of organization or sector that collects that information. Apply a baseline set of regulations to all types of information, regardless of the type of organization or sector collecting that information. Apply regulatory requirements to organizations according to their size and complexity, the nature of data covered, and the risk posed by exposing private information. All information (including third-party data transfers) needs sufficiently flexible protections to address emerging technologies and scientific evidence while serving the common good by balancing the demands of stakeholders and vested interests. The ubiquitous information and communication technologies (ICT) of today’s pervasive digital services, platforms, and marketplaces require a global governance perspective to address their societal and economic impacts: Harmonize laws and regulations across jurisdictions to protect individuals and assure the trustworthy flow of information across all boundaries—government, organizations, industry sectors, states, and countries. Aim to develop flexible regulatory structures that can quickly adapt to social and scientific realities and technical and economic policy challenges. Use forward-looking, collaborative mechanisms such as experimentation and learning, test-and-evolve, and post-doc effectiveness reviews. Incentivize specific outcomes that facilitate anticipating and adapting to rapid changes. State laws that become inconsistent with future comprehensive federal privacy standards may be preempted, while more stringent laws may remain. At a minimum, citizens' information protection rights should be comparable to those of citizens around the world—both current and future protections that may be established. Current European Council personal information protections include the ability to: be informed of what personal information is held and why access information held by an entity request updating or correcting of information request manual processing in lieu of automated or algorithmic processing request transfer of information to another entity withdraw prior consent to process data or object to specific situation consent request deleting personal information. Personal Information Protection Uniform privacy rights need to protect personal privacy and prevent known harm. Establish uniform information protections for personal and behavioral data that can be linked to an individual or devices. Prevent harmful uses of personal information by all information processors who collect, store, analyze, transfer, sell, etc. Expand the legal definition of “harm” to include physical, monetary, reputational, intangible, future, or other substantial injuries and to provide individuals the right to legal remedy. Assure that personal information collection, use, transfer, and disclosure for economic or societal purposes is consistent with the purpose for which individuals provide their data, and does not cause them harm. Shift the focus of information protection from individual self-management when submitting data (e.g., opt-in, obscure notice, and choice disclosures) to organizational stewardship in protecting individuals’ personal privacy. Expand personal information privacy definition to address rapidly changing information and communication technologies, accelerated networking between businesses, and automated collection and dissemination of data, which together subvert personally identifiable information, de-identification, re-identification, and data anonymization. Electronic Business and Social Media: Cybersecurity Responsibilities Organizations conducting electronic business and social media commercializing personal information both bear the responsibility for protecting information and must be liable for failure to protect individuals from harm. All organizations--including third-party receivers: Must protect individuals’ transferred information across multiple organizations to ensure end-use accountability. Have a duty to safely collect, use, and share personal, sensitive information. Should use comprehensive information risk assessments, take proactive measures to implement information security measures, and be held accountable for fulfilling these risk management obligations. Are held accountable for misuse of personal information by strengthening both state and federal laws, rule-making, and enforcement powers. We support the right of free speech for all. The digital tools of information and communication technology (such as algorithms and artificial intelligence) can selectively distort or amplify user-generated content. The resulting disinformation, digital manipulation, false claims, and/or privacy violations may endanger society or harm others. Compel private internet communication platforms (applications, social media, websites, etc.) to be responsible for moderating content. Define liability for damages and provide for enforcement for failure to moderate content. Privacy and Cybersecurity Today LWVOR Privacy & Cybersecurity Study , PDF, 61 pages Many bills passed in final 2023 legislative session days after the 43-day Senate walkout. See our Sine Die Legislative Report for links to our testimony, including references to our work over several sessions and future ongoing effort; all reflect privacy and cybersecurity. Elections SCR 1 : Condemning Election violence. SB 166 : Election Worker Protections. HB 3073 : Candidate and Incumbent Data Privacy Protection. HB 2107 : Automatic Voter Registration expansion. HB 2585 : Oppose ending “Motor Voter” voter registration. HB 5035 : Software, Risk-Limiting Audits and Election Security in the SoS’s Budget. Cybersecurity HB 2049 : Establish the Cybersecurity Center of Excellence. HB 2490 : Defend our cybersecurity plans from Public Disclosure. HB 2806 : update cybersecurity and privacy statute for critical infrastructures, etc. Privacy SB 619 : Protect Consumers’ Personal Data. HB 2052 : Data Broker Registry, First in the Nation. SB 5512 : the Judicial Department budget, for Citizen Participation and Access. HB 3201 : Broadband Assistance. Public Records HB 3111 : State Employees, Volunteers, and Retirees Information Privacy SB 510 : Public Records Advisory Budget. HB 5032 : Public Records Advocate funding. Previous Next

The LWVOR K-12 study is a set of three reports examining different aspects of K-12 education. K-12 Study About the Study The LWVOR K-12 study is a set of three reports examining different aspects of K-12 education. The LWVOR K-12 study is a set of three reports examining different aspects of K-12 education. The purpose of these reports is to provide background information so that League of Women Voter members in Oregon can reach consensus on issues regarding: Exceptional Learners School Safety Career and Technical Education The ultimate goal is to create positions which the League can use to advocate for or against legislation in the state. K-12 Exceptional Learners K-12 Exceptional Learners PDF K-12 Exceptional Learners Video K-12 Safe and Healthy School Resources K-12 Safe-and-Healthy Schools PDF K-12 Safe and Healthy Schools Video K-12 Career and Technical Ed Final K-12 Career and Technical Ed Report K-12 Exceptional Learners K-12 Exceptional Learners Consensus Form (Click on the link to download the Word document) K-12 Exceptional Learners Video ( Passcode: K96m^=@o) K-12 Safe and Healthy School Resources K-12 Safe and Healthy Schools Consensus Form (Click on the link to download the Word document) K-12 Safe and Healthy Schools Consensus Statements K-12 Safe and Healthy Schools Video K-12 Career and Technical Ed Final K-12 Career and Technical Ed Report Pros and Cons for K-12 CTE Consensus K-12 Career and Technical Ed Response Form Previous Next

The LWVOR Board adopted this completed restudy on January 25th, 2023. The position was updated in 2025. Child care concerns have changed dramatically since our  1988 - Childcare In Oregon  publication. Childcare Methods Study Update 2023 About the Study The LWVOR Board adopted this completed restudy on January 25th, 2023. The position was updated in 2025. Child care concerns have changed dramatically since our 1988 - Childcare In Oregon publication. At Convention 2021, LWV of Washington County proposed a restudy of LWVOR's 1985 Childcare Position . The current pandemic has highlighted and exacerbated childcare issues and inequities. The LWVOR Board adopted this completed restudy on January 25th, 2023. The position was updated in 2025. Child care concerns have changed dramatically since our 1988 - Childcare In Oregon publication. You can find a downloadable version of the restudy here. LWVOR's position on Child Care: First adopted March 1989 The League of Women Voters of Oregon believes that child care is a social and economic issue that reaches beyond the family into the community. Quality child care needs to be available, accessible and affordable to all families for children of all ages and with differing needs. The League of Women Voters supports a diverse child care system to accommodate different parental choices and needs. Such a system may include day care centers, group homes, and family day care homes. The State of Oregon should establish appropriate standards to ensure that high quality care exists in all settings. For centers and group homes: these standards should address facilities, staff qualifications, and number of children served. Program, parent/care giver communication, administration and transportation should be included for centers and may also be considered for group homes. There should be flexible guidelines for family day care homes because of the unique character of these facilities. The State of Oregon should enforce mandatory regulations by funding a sufficient number of inspectors. The State of Oregon should set requirements for adequate training for care givers and ensure those training opportunities are available. This could include state provision of training and/or state incentives for others to provide training. City and county governments should participate in enforcing health and fire standards. Affordable child care should be available and accessible for children with differing needs and in various age groups. While parents have the primary responsibility for choosing child care, a coordinated effort between parents and government, together with providers, employers, and private groups is necessary to deliver quality child care at an affordable price. The State of Oregon should: Provide financial assistance for child care expenses to low- and middle-income families based on need. Such assistance could include tax credits for parents with a ceiling based on income. Support resource and referral programs. Encourage employer involvement in the child care system. Encourage development of school-age child care programs. Parents in job training, in school, with special-needs children and/or needing respite care services should be eligible for financial assistance for child care based on demonstrated need. Child caregivers should be awarded recognition commensurate with their responsibilities. The State of Oregon should take a leadership role in elevating the professional status of child caregivers and ensuring adequate compensation. National Position (adopted in 1988): “Support programs, services, and policies at all levels of government to expand the supply of affordable, quality child care for all who need it, in order to increase access to employment and to prevent and reduce poverty.” Caring For Our Children Caring For Our Children Study , PDF, 28 pages LWVOR's 1985 Childcare Study LWVOR's 2023 Childcare Re-Study Previous Next